Waltons Hotel Dublin

So the leaves are turning all sorts of colours on the colour wheel. Yellows to oranges to reds to browns, all shades imaginable. The park beside me is an artist's mecca for inspiration and the weather is as changeable as the fluid palette. Today was a glorious morning and the brisk walk past native the oak trees refreshing, but two days ago the wind howled at the windows and the leaves fluttered from the deciduous trees, swirling into the flowerbed and smothering the ...

... guess I find things of history like the Nazis more interesting. And maybe because they were a bit closer in the number of years they happened than 1,000 years ago like a lot of what he was saying. I did learn a lot though. And Dublin Castle is not really a castle as you can see from the pictures. Later that night I decided it was time to hit an authentic Irish Pub. I asked the hostel staff where to grab some good food and a drink at and ...

... is elaborately decorated as were several other large stone on the periphery, and inside. A must see if you come to the area.

As is required, we made a trip to the Guinness factory. I’ve included here a photo of the deed that Arthur Guinness signed about 250yrs ago. He leased the property at a rate of £45/yr for 9000 years. He must have known he was on to something. For those interested in the history of your names, the men who built ...

... part of Phoenix Park, past the Wellington Monument and Heuston station, then along the river to the Smithfield area, where we alighted. It was now officially lunch time. Although none of us was *that* hungry, I felt it was important to get our bodies adjusted to the new eating schedule, as well as the sleeping schedule, as quickly as possible. And I wanted an excuse to visit the Brazen Head pub – Ireland’s oldest, circa 1198. Knowing I was unlikely to be able to ...

... accounted for!

We had a really fun day at the National Aquatic Center where they have an Olympic size pool and diving boards. Bruce of course went off the high diving board impressing his sons with his braveness. They also have an indoor water park with a wave pool, a lazy river, surf pool, and slides for all ages. The Irish, like the Portugese, insist upon swim caps so the Patrys made yet another bold fashion statement pool side!

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland patry

So, Grace and I flew to Dublin. We grabbed a cab to leave the airport, and this guy had the most unusual accent I've ever heard. He spoke English with a heavy Eastern European accent filled with Irish exclamations and phrases. Imagine that. Turns out he was from Lithuania, had learned English while driving a cab, and also spoke Polish which he'd learned by watching Polish broadcast television cartoons that radiated into his country, as a kid. Try saying "Jaezus, doncha know.." with ...

... wages while they were in service, as well as the promise of their position when they returned to Ireland. Then as with any brewery tour we ended our brewery adventures in the Gravity Bar sitting 7 stories above Dublin with a freshly poured pint of Guiness. Neither of us could finish it :) So we left to seek out some food. And found the world's largest plate of fish and chips(literally ...

... it's at. We did stumble upon a large field behind the trees in this field where two women were having some fun with there dog, having him run from one end to the other for treats, it's here that we enjoyed a brick enclosing, old metal doors and some interesting yard work. Temple Bar district is like Stephen Ave at home. It's pedestrian streets, collection of bars, lively atmosphere and sights to see. An evening walk through this district set off a chance encounter with ...

... cold, but that seems to be the case everywhere right now in Europe. (Also, the sun sets at around 4:30 in the afternoon!) Over the course of the past few weeks, I have been coordinating our Thanksgiving dinner here in London; a meal for about 25 people--25 interns, living on our sheepish stipend, who jumped at the thought of a huge meal to stuff themselves silly! Not suprisingly, the turkey was the hardest ...

... on Oliver's socks (apparently he has trouble figuring out which foot they go on, because he buys the ones that have the 'R' and 'L' indicator on them. Dumb if you ask me... :) We walked over to the train station and boarded our 2 hour train (which took 2.5 hours) to Galway. The ride was amazing - beautiful landscape and lots of sheep! Ok, so I think I have to go to the next entry to tell you about Galway...